There will come a time in your lifelong journey with Jesus when you find yourself in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. The Valley is a difficult place, and it is not a place we often pass through quickly. It can take a variety of forms—suffering, affliction, tribulation, grief, heartache, or any other difficulty. Yet for every Valley we traverse as followers of Jesus, God has provided for everything we need.
This place is most famously mentioned in Psalm 23, which says: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me . . .” (Psalm 23:4 ESV).
We walk through the valley; we don’t rush through. We might be in the Valley for a while, perhaps far longer than we wish. This journey through the Valley may take weeks or months or years. Lest we grow discouraged, Psalm 23 makes something else clear: We do not walk alone. The Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus, walks with us.
Because Jesus walks with us, we can say with the psalmist that we “fear no evil” there. Yes, the Valley is a place where we meet sorrow and suffering, and as the verse assumes, evil too. The Valley is a dark place; it’s called the valley of the shadow of death.
In the shadowy Valley, you may find yourself disoriented and directionless, yet the Good Shepherd promises to guide you himself, and he has given you a lamp to light your way.
We read in the Bible: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 ESV). God has given us his Word as a light for every dark Valley we travel.
10 Verses for When You Walk Through the Valley of the Shadow
Here are 10 Scriptures paired with reflections that are “light” for any Valley you may currently be walking through. These words are true for all who have trusted in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins and received his gift of new life.
1. God Is with You
He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5 ESV)
It is God’s promise that he will never leave or forsake you. Jesus is with you right now where you are in this Valley. Jesus has not left you. God has not abandoned you.
2. God Is Leading You, even in the Darkness
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. (Psalm 139:11–12 ESV)
Though you may feel like you are walking in utter darkness, everything that you’re experiencing is clear-as-day to God. He sees the way, even when you’re disoriented.
The Good Shepherd is “the light of the world” (John 8:12), and he walks with you through this Valley. To him, all things are clear—the state of your heart, the evil lurking in the shadows, the doubt fogging up your mind, and the right way to go. God has not left you to grope in darkness as you walk through this Valley. He holds your hand and is leading you even here. And so, in the Valley you can “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV).
3. It’s Okay to Not Know What to Pray
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26–27 ESV)
God anticipates that there will be times you do not know what to pray—he says so in Scripture! If you find yourself in the Valley, paralyzed by pain, you can offer a simple prayer of faith: God, you say that your Spirit prays for me. Please pray for me today. When you offer a simple prayer asking the Spirit to intercede for you, take heart, for “your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8 NIV).
4. Jesus Is Praying for You
Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. (Romans 8:34 ESV)
Jesus gave his life on the cross for you so that you might be reconciled to God and know the joy of his fellowship for your entire life, no matter what season you are in. Jesus does more than walk with you; he prays for you. He does not just stand beside you as you walk through the Valley, he also stands at the right hand of God, praying for you.
5. God Accepts Your Broken Prayers
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:7–8 ESV)
Jesus makes clear to us that God does not hear us because of the “many words” we say. The Father knows our heart as we pray. The many testimonies written in the book of Psalms back up Jesus’ words here. God’s people knew they could rely on God to hear their groanings (Psalm 5:1), and to record their every tear (Psalm 56:8).
Do not feel insecure about your sincere prayers, even if they are broken or take the form of groans and sighs. God pays closer attention to your cries than you may think: Remember, by faith in Christ, you are his child (1 John 3:1).
6. God Loves You
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35–39 ESV)
One of the evils of the Valley is the Enemy’s targeted whisper: Surely God would not take me through such a place if he loved me. Therefore, God must not love me. The Bible lists many Valleys we will walk through and assures us that in all of them, God loves us. Whether our Valley takes the form of emotional distress, persecution, a season of lack, a season of danger, or even physical harm, our Lord loves us and walks through even the deepest Valleys. There is nowhere he will not go. There is nowhere his love does not go with us.
7. God Is Not Punishing You
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1 ESV)
The wrath of God that your sins deserved was poured out entirely on Jesus. Though you might face the natural consequences of sinful actions, you will never experience the wrath of God. God does not punish you. Your pain is not the result of his displeasure. Your circumstances are not to be interpreted as a scowl from the Lord. In Christ, you stand before God fully accepted, without condemnation. In this Valley, as in any other place, there is no condemnation for you in Christ.
8. God Has Given You Power, Love, and a Sound Mind
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV)
Suffering of any kind can disorient us. We spin problems around in our minds until we are dizzy. We feel our world has been turned upside down; we don’t know which way is up or where to turn.
There is a wonderful truth recorded for all who have trusted in Jesus: God has given us his own Spirit and the Spirit God has given us does not make us afraid (Romans 8:15); rather, he gives us power, love, and a sound mind.
God is with you! He is not just standing beside you; he lives in you, and his Spirit has given you the power you need, love to motivate your actions, and a sound mind to discern your way forward.
As you walk through the Valley, you have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). Whatever challenges may arise, God has provided you with ample support to navigate the challenges you face in the Valley.
9. God Will Comfort You in the Valley
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3–4 ESV)
This beautiful passage of Scripture tells us that our merciful God “comforts us in all our affliction.” The Valley may be a place of affliction, but if it is such a place, then we can be sure we will experience God’s comfort there. The Psalmist testifies to this himself, for right after he says that God is with him in the Valley, he says, “your rod and staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). In the darkest places in life you may wonder about God’s heart toward you. But you need not wonder. Scripture testifies that God’s heart toward you is merciful and compassionate, and God will comfort you as you endure the affliction of the Valley.
And with the comfort you receive from God in this particular Valley, you will in turn be able to share that comfort with others.
10. God Has Not Left You to Your Own Strength
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:26 ESV)
It is likely that in the Valley of the Shadow of Death you will experience either the failure of your heart or the failure of your body. You may find that your heart cannot process or feel as you ought. You may find that your body fails you.
Psalm 73 offers a precious truth to cling to in our pain: God is the strength of our hearts. When you feel tapped out emotionally, like you have no strength left, that is not the end of your resources. You are indwelled by God, the Holy Spirit, and he has promised to be your strength.
How do Christians persevere when it seems that they ought to fall defeated and crushed? How do followers of Jesus get out of bed in the morning when it seems the worst has happened and there is no hope? Proverbs 24:16 says, “for the righteous falls seven times and rises again…” (ESV). Those whom Jesus has made righteous may get knocked down physically and emotionally in the Valley, but God’s people have been given God’s Spirit as the strength within them to rise again.
In the Valley, you may reach a point where you feel like you have nothing left to get you through the rest of the journey. You do not have the endurance or desire to persevere. But God has the desire and the power to see you through this Valley, and he will sustain you.
Where Does the Valley Lead?
These ten verses are just a glimmer of the light that God offers us in the Valley through his Word. Keep your Bible open as you traverse the Valley, and ask the Good Shepherd to illumine your way by his Word.
The Valley is a difficult place and a dark one too. But the Valley is not your destiny. It is a stretch of your journey that will ultimately lead you to the house of the Good Shepherd where you will dwell in his joyous presence forever (Psalm 23:6). As you travel through the Valley, the Good Shepherd will guide you and won’t leave your side. And his Word will be your light. God’s goodness and love follow you all the way through the Valley (Psalm 23:6 NIV).